What exactly is the 1AR? Take a second to think. Before you can learn how to use it to win, you must first understand what the 1AR truly is. Is it the most important speech in the round? Is it the compensation for Aff’s right to be the first and last word in the...
Ryan Collins (2013 TP national champion) and I are planning this weekend’s teaching. We’re working with a group of experienced debaters who aren’t having the traction they should. We had both written down our own notes, and they were remarkably...
Did you know that debaters can inoculate their audiences against future persuasion? Not against arguments you know (that’s called spiking), but against arguments you’ve never heard of. Please partake in a recent text conversation… Isaiah Mcpeak: So...
Too many debaters rely on web search. As we’ve argued before (here, here, here, and here), books are the most important sources to explore. Lectures and MOOCs are great, too. But you should also be following or regularly visiting some sites to get up-to-date...
On Monday I got this email from a debater I met at the NC Open. His questions apply to all team policy debaters, so I’ve recorded a response for everyone. “Great getting to talk with you. Appreciated your time this week. Got some more questions: Negative...
